1. Technical Field
The present application relates generally to an improved data processing system and method. More specifically, the present application is directed to a mechanism for phone call mute notification.
2. Description of Related Art
When a person participates in a telephone call, the person may mute his or her end of the call. For example, when there is an interruption, the user of the telephone device may activate a mute function, which turns off the microphone in the telephone device or in the muting device such as a conference center or a computer in a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) device. The parties on the other end of the call will not hear the audio occurring on the user's end until the user deactivates the mute function.
Often, the user may activate the mute function and forget that the mute function is activated. In this instance, the user may attempt to participate in the conversation, but the other parties will not hear the audio due to the mute function being activated. This may be a source of embarrassment for the user or frustration for all parties.
Known solutions to this problem include sounding a periodic beep on the speaker of the telephone device or a flashing light to indicate that the mute function is activated. The user may then see or hear this indication, which will prompt the user to deactivate the mute function before attempting to participate in the conversation. However, with a periodic beep, the user may attempt to talk between beeps, not realizing that the mute function is activated. Also, the beep may interrupt the audio coming from the other parties. If the user has his or her eyes focused on something during the conversation, he or she may not notice a flashing light. Otherwise, the user may find a periodic beep or flashing light to be a distraction during the conversation.